Carter's Journey: September 2013

Did I Hear Him Right?!?!

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

"Did I hear him right or was it just wishful dreaming?" This is what I thought when Carter's Neurosurgeon told us we could come see him again in JUNE when we see all of his other Doctor's!!! Woo Hoo! A Break, a big long break! It is exactly what Brandon and I have been praying for. Sweet Carter needs it, and so do we. I was so happy I could have skipped out of Johns Hopkins Hospital today, and well... maybe I did.

Carter's appointment went great. His incision looks wonderful. I will need to continue to keep it covered for at least another 2 weeks. Carter's walking has dramatically improved. He had just started walking again by himself from his last surgery in March. When he would take a step, he would not bend his knees and his legs looked extremely tight. Since having his cord untethered, he is bending his knees and walking so much better. Carter will need to have another MRI with sedation in about 3 months which we will do at home and send up here. Other than the MRI, Carter SHOULD have no other medical procedures until June. Ecstatic is and understatement!

Thank you all SO much for all of the prayers for not only Carter, but our entire family. Please continue to pray. Pray for Carter's incision to continue to heal and for him to remain infection free. Pray for Carter's legs as they continue to build strength and for his body as it continues to heal. Your prayers, text, messages and phone calls are truly what has gotten us through this year. We would not be where we are today without them. Thank you! As always... To God be the Glory!!!

One of Carter's favorite things to do while in Baltimore is ride around the Inner Harbor in his stroller and look at everything. Yesterday, we took him for a stroll, and he loved every minute of it!

Look Birds!

Watching the airplanes...

Great Things He has Done...

Whew! What a relief! Carter's surgery went great. His incision is smaller than what was expected. He has already started wiggling both of his legs and feet. He will need to remain flat for the next 48 hours, but he can lay on his back, his stomach or his sides. He just has to stay flat. The reason he has to stay flat is to maintain his spinal fluid and to allow his incision to heal. After he lays flat for 48 hours we will work on getting him up out of bed and pain control. Depending on how he does, depends on how long he will have to stay in the hospital. We do not expect to be here any longer than 7 days. We are praying he will continue to do exceptionally well and we will be home sooner than 7 days.

Watching Carter go through hospital stays will never get easier, although everything about this hospitalization has been close to wonderful. The PICU was full so instead of canceling Carter's surgery they placed him on Intermediate Care Service. Which basically means he is on a regular monitored floor, but his nurse only has one patient. It was such a God thing. Just thinking about having to go back through the PICU doors made Brandon and I both sick. Another thing we were dreading was the wait time from the time he would get out of surgery until the time the PICU had him stable enough for us to see him. Since he did not have to go to the PICU, we were immediately able to see him after surgery and we were able to be by his side when he woke up. I know it is just a small thing, but it made all three of us feel so much better!

There really is no sweeter name than the name of Jesus. I am not sure why but his presence is so much more evident when we are in the hospital. Each hospitalization makes us realize just how blessed we are. Just how blessed we are to have been chosen to be Carter's parents. He has held us up when our legs have not been able to. He has held our eyes open when we no longer could. He has given us strength through the unimaginable. He has given Carter the soul of a fighter. He has been by Carter's side this entire time and we give Him all of the Glory! Please continue for Carter. Pray that he will tolerate laying flat for the next 48 hours. For his pain to stay managed and for complete healing. We are excited to see what God has in store for Carter's future. Great things He has done! To God be the Glory!!!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

Carter's Second Spinal Surgery...

Carter has been doing absolutely wonderful the past few weeks!!! He has been out and about more than ever and has loved every minute of it. He is COMPLETELY off all of his pain and sedation medications, and he even took a few steps without his walker yesterday! We are SO proud of him. We honestly had no idea if he would be able to walk without his walker again. He is very determined and we serve a mighty God! His legs are still weak and he still has a long way to go, but each step is a step in the right direction. God's glory has taken over our lives, especially in the past few weeks. It has been so nice for all of us to be home and get back into a somewhat normal routine.

Unfortunately, we will be returning to Baltimore, Monday. Carter will be having spinal surgery on Wednesday. This will be his second spinal surgery. We should only be at Johns Hopkins Hospital for a week. Carter will have to go to the PICU for a few days after surgery and he will need to lay on his stomach for a few days. He will have a 6-8 week recovery at home from the surgery. This will be Carter's second spinal surgery. The first spinal surgery was performed when Carter was 6 months old. He had to have a lot of "work" done then, and the surgery was extremely painful for him. We are praying since he will not need to have as much work done this time, it will not be as painful. Especially since we finally have him off of all of the pain and sedation medications from his last surgery in March.

This surgery should only consist of untethering Carter's spinal cord. We are praying for a successful and uncomplicated spinal surgery. With any spinal surgery there is a chance of nerve damage, which could prevent Carter from walking again. Although, if Carter did not have the surgery, over time he would for sure have nerve damage that would prevent him from walking and could even cause neurological damage. We have a lot of faith that God will guide Carter's surgeons hands and even if the outcome is not what we want, we will continue to give God all of the praise. We know that God has a huge purpose for Carter's life. We are just fortunate enough to be part of it! Thank you SO much for all of your prayers for our family. We honestly appreciate each and every one of them!!! As always... To God be the Glory!!!

Carter's first High School Football Game...